


First Fall Foliage

by paperlessprinter



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Episode: s01e02 The End of the World, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-02
Updated: 2014-03-02
Packaged: 2018-01-14 08:44:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1260139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paperlessprinter/pseuds/paperlessprinter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Now that the adrenaline of Rose's first day on the TARDIS has finally worn off, it's time for the Doctor to show her to her room and plan a surprise. Written for the TARDIS Ficathon on Tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> TARDIS Ficathon - where we requested a room in the TARDIS and received another as an assignment. My fic is for kahki820 who requested a North American forest room. Oodlyenough kindly beta'ed.
> 
> * * *

 

 

First Fall Foliage by paperlessprinter

**Summary:** Now that the adrenaline of Rose's first day on the TARDIS has finally worn off, it's time for the Doctor to show her to her room and plan a surprise. Written for the TARDIS Ficathon on Tumblr.  
 **Rating:** All Ages  
 **Categories:** Ninth Doctor  
 **Characters:** Rose Tyler  
 **Genres:** Fluff  
 **Warnings:** None  
 **Challenges:** None  
 **Series:** None  
 **Published:** 2013.05.31  
 **Updated:** 2013.05.31

 

First Fall Foliage by paperlessprinter

Chapter 1: Chapter 1

**Author's Notes:** TARDIS Ficathon - where we requested a room in the TARDIS and received another as an assignment. My fic is for kahki820 who requested a North American forest room. Oodlyenough kindly beta'ed.

* * *

  
In 900 years, the Doctor had never had chips as good as what he just ate. Rose had led him through the throngs of Saturday afternoon shoppers. She said she knew a place that she frequented. He didn't question her as they passed a few larger stands with crowds of tourists. Instead they stopped in front of a little hole in the wall with a greasy looking sign sticking out of an alleyway.

Both of them were feeling rather subdued. It had been a long day.

The events on Platform One had taken a lot out of the Doctor, but somehow admitting to Rose that he was the last of his kind had taken even more. He stood at the console, leaning into it more than usual. He felt the weight of the world on his shoulders. Across from him, Rose quickly stifled a yawn. She slumped in the jump seat.

"Tired?"

Rose nodded. "Dunno why though. It's barely what, 6?"

"Yeah about." It was 5:54 and 37 seconds. 38. The Doctor didn't answer with the exact time. He had been around humans long enough to know they preferred to round whenever possible. "When was the last time you slept?"

Rose fell silent as she tried to figure it out. Instead she yawned. "We left on a..."

"Thursday. And it's-"

"Saturday. Blimey I haven't been up this long since that one time in school when I was trying to cram for my Maths GSCE and..." She shook her head and slid off the jump seat. With a loud groan she raised her arms above her head and stretched. Her shirt, which usually hugged the top of her jeans, rose a couple of inches, revealing a belly button and the beginnings of sculpted hips.

Not that the Doctor noticed. He looked intently at the console screen as Rose came down from her stretch.

"Would you like to see your room?" he said.

"My room? You mean there's a room just for me?"

The Doctor looked up at her and flashed a grin. "Of course you have a room. Did you think we slept here?"

"Well." Rose slowly spun around. Then she slid up to the Doctor. "Do you have a room?"

The Doctor pushed a button or two before answering. "I've got loads of rooms. There's the library, the swimming pool, the squash courts, oh and wait until you see the observatory! Best views of the galaxy." He flicked another switch on the console. "But come on, I'll show you to your room." He lead her down the ramp that was opposite the door and into the corridors.

The maze of the TARDIS was home to him, but it was Rose’s first time, so he walked slower than usual. There were several winding turns he needed to take to get Rose to her room.

"How do you keep track of where you're going?" Rose asked after the sixth left.

The Doctor tapped his temple. "I've got a map in here." They approached yet another intersection so he stopped to point to the corner. There were a few small pictures with arrows going in different directions. "These help. Just follow the signs. There's the console room, library, one of the kitchens. She'll help you get where you want to go..." The Doctor trailed off.

"She?"

"The TARDIS."

"Uh huh," Rose yawned. Which was a good excuse as any to hurry up.

The corridor was just like any of the other corridors he had led her down, but he stopped in front of a plain looking wooden door. This one was painted a slight shade of pink. He knew before opening the door that it was Rose's room. The TARDIS had set it up for her already. He grinned to himself. That was rather quick. She wanted to make sure he had someone with him.

"Here you go." He opened the door and let her go in first.

He was surprised at how much pink there was. A bright pink quilt covered the bed, the walls were the same shade of light pink as the door was and there even was a shag rug.

Rose sank onto the bed and looked around.

"Alright?" He leaned against the doorframe.

"Yeah, it's fine. Reminds me of home. Where's the closest bathroom?"

The Doctor pointed to door further in the room. "Should be an ensuite. Everything you need." He paused, shifted. "Well, goodnight."

"Goodnight. What about yourself?"

"Oh, I'll be alright."

The Doctor ducked out of her room and closed the door. He started walking without really caring where he ended up. His feet and his ship led him eventually to his workshop.

His workshop was a mess of a room, mainly because he hadn't felt like cleaning in ages. Projects that he had started and long since abandoned lay scattered about: an internal combustion engine that he had tried to build from scratch when he had the idea of building himself another car, various sonic screwdriver prototypes he had come up with before settling on the final design. He spent more time here than in his bedroom. This room was more his than the one he occasionally slept in.

As he had led Rose through the corridors of the TARDIS to show her to her room, he could sense a wave of confusion from her. He didn't even need to be slightly telepathic to notice it. She had held his hand tightly and walked instep with him rather than behind. She kept looking around, trying to keep track of all the twists and turns that they had taken. For him walking the TARDIS was second nature - he could do it blindfolded - but for Rose...

The Doctor had an idea. He wanted to show Rose more of his ship but he didn't want to overwhelm her. He hoped she would get used to living and traveling with him. Near the center of his workshop was a computer terminal that he could use to access the TARDIS systems without going all the way back to the console room. He brought up the holographic schematic and zoomed in on where Rose was. A static, steady dot signified her most likely sleeping in her room. The Doctor zoomed out slightly and made a note of what rooms were near Rose's right now.

Occasionally he would rearrange sections of the ship, or the TARDIS would do it herself. But with all the years the Doctor had spent traveling with his old girl, he had never gotten lost transversing her corridors. He always had a mental map of where he was within his ship. His companions weren't so lucky.

One room caught the Doctor's eye. The arboretum. Rose would hopefully love that -- a living forest within a space ship. He grabbed the room and moved it closer to Rose's within the schematic. Any changes he made to the hologram would be saved and the TARDIS would make the corresponding changes herself.

He held off on making any more changes for now, figuring the grand tour of the ship could wait. Instead, The Doctor searched high and low for some parchment, finally finding some Gallifreyan stationary beneath one of the books he had taken from the library and forgotten to re-shelve.

Clearing off some space on his desk, the Doctor scribbled a quick note to Rose, making sure to write clear directions for her to follow to get to the arboretum. He glanced at the schematic once or twice, counting the doors Rose would pass to get to her destination. There wasn't really anything interesting that she'd be missing, except maybe the swimming pool that had found itself in the same corridor, but that was for the tour later on. He signed the note and folded it in half.

The Doctor stopped by in one of the many kitchens on his way to Rose's room. He found an old picnic basket in a cupboard and started to raid the fridge, packing all sorts of snacks and breads and cheeses. He wondered if wine would be a bit much, then decided to hide a bottle in the bottom of the basket just in case.

The basket was probably overly full by the time the Doctor left the kitchen, but he didn't care. It wasn't as heavy as it looked; after the last time he’d used it, he’d made it bigger on the inside. The red wine bottle was safely at the bottom of the basket buried beneath a picnic blanket and many things to snack on.

As he approached Rose's room he slowed, put the basket down on the ground, and quietly put his ear against the door. He could not hear anything behind the wood. She was still asleep. Quickly he slipped his note beneath the door and made his way to the arboretum.

He didn't often visit. Really only once in a blue moon when the mood struck him, or when he had insomnia and would roam the ship. With all the wonders in the galaxy he could visit, it was hard to be wowed by a forest inside a ship. Hopefully Rose would like the idea of having a picnic beneath the rainbow of red and yellow leaves.

* * *

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.  
  
This story archived at <http://www.whofic.com/viewstory.php?sid=50657>


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that the adrenaline of Rose's first day on the TARDIS has finally worn off, it's time for the Doctor to show her to her room and plan a surprise. Written for the TARDIS Ficathon on Tumblr.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * * *

 

 

First Fall Foliage by paperlessprinter

**Summary:** Now that the adrenaline of Rose's first day on the TARDIS has finally worn off, it's time for the Doctor to show her to her room and plan a surprise. Written for the TARDIS Ficathon on Tumblr.  
 **Rating:** All Ages  
 **Categories:** Ninth Doctor  
 **Characters:** Rose Tyler  
 **Genres:** Fluff  
 **Warnings:** None  
 **Challenges:** None  
 **Series:** None  
 **Published:** 2013.05.31  
 **Updated:** 2013.05.31

 

First Fall Foliage by paperlessprinter

Chapter 2: Chapter 2

**Author's Notes:**

* * *

  
Rose hadn't realized how tired she was until the Doctor had pointed it out. The last couple of days had passed in a blur. First there were the Autons and the mad dash to defeat them. Then in a flash they were off to Platform One. Seemed she hadn't had a chance to really pause and catch her breath until after they had returned from having chips.

For a moment when Rose saw the room the Doctor walked her to she stopped short. It was almost exactly like her room back home, except with a little more yellow thrown in. How could he have known? He had only been in their living room. Then she remembered something he had said about the ship translating for her. Something telepathic. She was too tired to figure it out now. If she remembered later she would ask the Doctor when she woke up.

The room was dark when Rose opened her eyes again. She had no idea what time it was but it felt like she had gotten several hours of sleep. Her phone was on the nightstand where her alarm clock normally was. She groped for it from the bed. Whatever the Doctor had done to it on Platform One seemed to be permanent because it was still showing full service and full battery. It was nearly three in the morning back home according to her phone. But to her it didn't feel like the middle of the night.

She slipped out from under the duvet and shuffled into the bathroom. Her body felt confused, like it wasn't sure what schedule to keep. Maybe this was what jet lag was like, she thought as she washed her hands and ran some water on her face.

When she went back into the room Rose was surprised to find the light on. Either it was motion activated or it had turned on by itself.

She was unsure what to do next but figured she should find the Doctor. It was then she noticed a slip of paper on the floor by the door. There were several golden circles embossed into the thick paper. It was very pretty but when she turned it over she realized it was a note from the Doctor.

"Rose," it read, "I hope you slept well. I'm sure you're hungry again after those chips. Would you care to join me for a picnic... " breakfast and dinner were scratched out, "meal in the arboretum? Step out of your room and take a left. It should be four doors down the corridor, marked with a tree. Cheers." He'd signed his name. "P.S. If you somehow get lost, just call out for me and I'll come get you."

She tucked the note into her pocket with her phone. The paper was almost too pretty to throw away. She walked into the corridor and turned left. The next door was far bigger than the door that lead to her room. It was more like an iron archway found on a castle than anything else. It was clear there was no rhyme or reason to the doors when she saw a glass one next. Rose stopped to peak through one of the panes. She swore there was a pool in there. She shook her head and continued walking. Two more doors. The next one on the left was unremarkable save for its bright yellow color and its banana-like odor. It stuck out compared to the brown/orange corridor.

There wasn't another door for a while. With such a long stretch of corridor Rose began to worry. Did she somehow miss it? She didn't want to get lost. If the next door wasn't the one she was looking for then she would double back.

But at the last minute she had found an earthy looking door, made of unfinished wood with a green tree on it. She went through and was amazed with what she found on the other side.

It was an explosion of reds and yellows, with some oranges and dark greens thrown in. Rose took a couple steps into the immense room and heard some faint crunching. It took her a moment to realize that she was walking over dead leaves. There were trees on either side of her which were taller than the ceiling was in the corridor. She even walked back out to double check.

There was a narrow path that she followed for a few meters. She couldn't see much except the trees all around her. And it wasn't like it was the same tree over and over. There were barks that were so light they were more a shade white than brown, right next to trees that were the darkest brown she had ever seen.

Rose kept walking, just taking in the sounds of the leaves under her feet and the smell of the rest of them in their various stages of dying. Living in the city she never really noticed when the leaves turned. There always seemed to be a big rainstorm that would blow all the leaves away before she could enjoy them.

The path she was on just seemed to end at a ledge. But on either side it widened into a grassy clearing.

"Hullo!" The Doctor called as soon as he spotted Rose. He was sitting on a blanket with his back against one of the trees. Next to him was a picnic basket, opened with several tasty looking things peeking out.

She smiled and ambled over to the blanket. "Hi. This all for us?"

The Doctor reddened slightly. "I may have gone overboard. Wasn't sure what you liked so there's all sorts of stuff. Did you sleep well?"

Rose nodded. "Just what I needed, thanks." She unceremoniously plopped down next to the Doctor.

There wasn't a tree of her own to lean against like the Doctor. Instead, she snuggled up close to him until she was leaning on him. At first she was worried he would shift away, but he didn’t. He just dragged the picnic basket over to her side so it’d be easier to reach in and grab something.

“What is this place?” She asked as spotted a biscuit that was calling her name from the basket. Her body was confused and if she couldn’t figure out if this was a late night snack or a really early breakfast then she might as well just eat what tasted good to her right now.

“Oh, the arboretum?” The Doctor shrugged. “I’m not exactly sure. Came with the ship. Long time ago, forests were used in certain life support systems. I think the tradition stuck.”

“Life support?” Rose nearly dropped the rest of her biscuit.

“Well yeah. Trees help convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. Handy to have on the ship.” The Doctor twisted around to knock on the bark behind him. “But don’t worry, the TARDIS doesn’t need these.”

Rose smiled. “ _Good,_ ” she said once she had finished chewing. She eyed the rest of the spread hiding in the basket. She grabbed a packet of crisps. “Want some?”

“Thanks.” The Doctor opened the packet and poured some into her hand before taking some crisps of his own. They didn't talk much, mostly because it was too loud with their munching. Rose was content to lean against the Doctor and just admire the trees that were below them. The colors really were the prettiest she’d seen. And yet it was hard for her to imagine that she was on a spaceship and sitting in this arboretum at the same time. She was still trying to wrap her head around it, but it didn't feel weird anymore.

Rose found a hunk of cheese in the basket next. She wasn't sure what kind, but it looked very white. She nudged the Doctor. “What’s this?” she asked.

The Doctor ripped a small piece off a corner and popped it in his mouth. “My favorite,” he mumbled. “Try it, it’s from another planet but it tastes good! Like... brie and cheddar mixed into mozzarella. Try it!” He ripped another piece from the chunk and split it half. Rose put the cheese down and took her piece, giving the Doctor a questioning glance.

“Trust me,” he said, “on three. One, two, three!”

Rose closed her eyes and bit into her cheese. The first taste was just like mozzarella, but then she found the brie taking over as she chewed. At the last moment, right before she swallowed, it reminded her of cheddar.

“Wow,” Rose said as she finished and opened her eyes again. “That is some cheese.” She reached over for another chunk, splitting it with the Doctor again.

After the second bit, there was a third piece. And then a fourth. Rose lost count of how many little bits of cheese she ended up eating. She could swear each time she popped a bit into her mouth, the order of the flavors changed. She looked over to the Doctor who had a wide grin plastered on his mouth as he chewed his latest piece.

Rose was getting full, but she grabbed one last bit from the diminishing chunk anyway. “I’m thirsty.”

The Doctor froze, cheese halfway to his mouth, and looked at Rose. “What did you say?”

“I said I was thirsty,” Rose chucked. “All this cheese.”

The Doctor lowered his snack and muttered something under his breath. “I’d completely forgotten...” He reached into the picnic basket and moved several snacks out of the way. He gingerly brought out a wine bottle. He reached into the basket again and took two glasses out. “It’s, uh, all I have.”

Rose looked over all the snacks spilling out of the basket and the wine bottle and glasses that the Doctor was holding and then looked at him. She smiled. “It’s perfect.”

The Doctor smiled as well and quickly poured out two glasses of wine. He handed one to her and held his above them. “Here’s to...” he faltered, unsure of what word to use.

Rose raised her glass to meet the Doctor’s. With her free hand she found his and held it. “Here’s to us.” They clinked glasses before drinking their first wine together.

* * *

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.  
  
This story archived at <http://www.whofic.com/viewstory.php?sid=50657>


End file.
